Japan: Nissan stops production as Tokyo snow disrupts trains, flights

Nissan Motor was among the companies that asked staff at its Yokohama headquarters go home earlier, as heavy snow falls Tokyo disrupted train and plane schedules for the second time in less than a week.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, last weekend parts of greater Tokyo recorded as much as 50 centimeters of snow, a record for the region and for today around 10 centimeters were again forecasted.

Public broadcaster NHK also announced that around 24 centimeters of snow fell on Tokyo last weekend, the most in 45 years, and today’s snow fall that started during the night already disrupted transport in the region.

According to ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines, which are Japan’s largest flight operators, 138 domestic flights and two international services were canceled today, while train operators in the Kanto region, which includes Tokyo, as well as Osaka in the western part of Japan, announced disruptions in their usual commuter train lines.

Chris Keeffe, a Yokohama-based spokesman for the Nissan Company also said the automaker asked its employees from its headquarters to leave work by 12:30 p.m. today and other staff in the region go home by 3 p.m.